Family Christmas Ideas....

I am a visual person, one of my biggest sources of fuel and ideas is Pinterest.  I CAN'T GET ENOUGH!  It seriously can feel like an addiction at times!  And I know people who think that about me, that I'm an addict;)  Go ahead, you will agree too!  {My Pinterest Boards}

I'm sharing a few images that really spoke to me....  

{1} I have many of these cylinder vases that I have used for events {by annette's creation's}.  And battery operated lights....and lots of ornaments!  It looks simple, cheap {free!}, and full of sparkle!  

{2} wreathes, I can't get enough wreath ideas....!  There are so many creative ideas and really loved the simplicity of these, and if I look hard enough around my house I can probably create yet another cheap {free!} Christmas craft! 

{3}  A tree skirt, I don't have one.  I have been so picky about these, everything I see at the store is either ridiculously priced or just not what I envisioned...so, when I saw this!  I thought, OMG, I could find a round table cloth that I love at Target or Homegoods and just add a few hems! Budget friendly, simple and exactly what I want! 

{4} Natural home-fragrance, CHECK!  I did this last night!  I saved the leftover citrus from our juice machine and added fresh cranberries I had on hand for juice, a cinnamon stick, vanilla extract and ginger peel from my soup!  It smells cheery!  Another cheap {free!} one;) 

{side note....as I am writing this, I am realizing I did not have any intention of having a completely free list or even anywhere close to free....but my wish list is looking pretty good right now.......!!!!!}

{5 & 6} I am obsessed with staging and setting a table!  My fascination really took over when I worked at Pier One in college btw!  People probably walk through my house and think I'm crazy for having lots of accessories with 2 rambunctious boys running around?!?!?!  I question myself all the time!  But I love it too much and I wouldn't be completely devastated if something happened to it!  I would just replace it and hope that no one got hurt!  I just love looking at it too much! In these settings I really am attracted to the pinks and reds, gold and turquoise, white and mint.  My house is already full of these colors and they will look great for the holidays!  

{7} I just love this!  I will figure out a reason why I should string pom-poms or marshmallows from my ceiling.....!!!!! 

{8} This really came from my son JB, when we were discussing the lay of the land, you know where should we put the tree?  Where should we move this table?  Where do we want people to sit at our family party?!  Then a light bulb clicked in his head and he thought that we should put food that looked like Christmas trees in the middle of the table, and then my light bulb went on and remembered this photo from pinterest....OMG, I HAVE TO DO THIS!!!!  It sounds cute, simple enough, some what healthy, we could do a veggie tree, an apple tree....., and it's very festive!

1. currys trumpet

2. house of noise, dreamy whites

3. teal and lime

4. babble

5. wedding chicks

6. sorry I don't have the original for this, its labeled Martha Stewart table scape in flickr...

7. mon carnet

8. cant stop making things

This list is more about having a festive holiday with my kids!  I'm one of those moms who would have probably been a pretty good pre-school teacher, I love this stage, they are so creative and they love exploring. It is such a fun age, I just LOVE it. Spotted these ideas on Pinterest that can really be done without much hassle...!  {1} a fun photo shoot! {2} a fun place setting! {3} cardboard Christmas house! {4} colorful ice! {5} hand-made winter bird feeder! {6} paper gingerbread men! {7} a shower curtain floor mat we can turn into Christmasville!  {8} hand-made card! {9} ice cream cone Christmas tree forest! {10} gingerbread men play dough! {11} gingerbread house (ours will not look like this! LOL) {12} home-made gift giving........!!!!!

1. two peas in a bucket

 2. better homes and garden

3. strickland kids

4. queen vanna

5. babble

6. a mom with a lesson plan

7. filth wizardry

8. anya - life is what you make it

9. coupon clipping cook

10. no time for flash cards

11. zinke

12. talk crafty to me

Just want to recognize where the ideas come from!  Want to give credit where credit is due.

{These photos on Pinterest inspired me enough to want to know more, and when I looked further I did find some pretty great and interesting stories out there...}

I encourage you to make a mood board too, they are fun....!!!  See if you can use some things you already have in a different but special way........and maybe you'll add something extra special that you didn't think you could have or maybe even do this holiday season.....!

Cheers ~ annette